News

Central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) is caused by obstruction of the central retinal vein that that leads to a back up of blood and fluid in the retina, resulting in retinal injury and loss of vision.

Findings, reported online this week,in advance of print in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), are suggesting that the protein kinase JNK1 may have a key role in the development of retinopathy in premature babies.

Three professors from the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology are to become fellows of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) in its first honours list.

A new collaboration between Oxford BioMedica and Sanofi-Aventis is to develop and commercialise gene therapy treatments for retinal degenerative diseases such as Stargardt disease, the form of early-onset macular degeneration and Usher syndrome, a relatively rare genetic disease where sufferers are born deaf and lose vision within the first 10 years of life.

Ophthotech Corp. has announced positive results of a phase I clinical study evaluating E10030, its novel anti-platelet derived growth factor (anti-PDGF) in conjunction with an anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF), to treat wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD).

Merck & Co., Inc. and Santen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., have agreed a worldwide licensing agreement for tafluprost, a prostaglandin analogue under investigation in the US.

Patients suffering from AMD have experienced long-term benefits from using the Macular Health vitamin supplement following the second phase of the Multifocal Electroretinogram (MERG) study at the Callahan Eye Foundation Hospital at the University of Alabama Birmingham (US).

An OTEurope story we ran a couple of weeks ago clearly resonated with reader, Peter Raus in Belgium. Read on to see what he thought.

Visiogen is reporting significant progress in the development of the Synchrony IOL, including the completion of the US phase III study, the formation of Visiogen Europe GmbH and the commencement of commercialization in Europe.

Positive interim data results from the Phase II trial of OT-551 to treat geographic atrophy (GA), an advanced form of AMD, have been announced by Othera Pharmaceuticals Inc.

A study comparing pain perception during cataract surgery with and without the use of lidocaine.

A recent survey looked at how doctors adopt and use new technology, including the internet and found that overall an increasing amount of their time is being spent online and access to the most up-to-date online medical and pharmaceutical resources plays and increasingly important role.

A news round-up, including highlights from this year's ASCRS.

From Facebook to Twitter, individuals are embracing the opportunity to participate in online publishing at an unprecendented rate. Communities of users interact globally, minute-to-minute within huge databases of content that they themselves create.

A comparative study of three presbyopia-correcting lenses demonstrates that aspheric lenses offer superior performance over other designs.

Technolas Perfect Vision is the new company name for the joint venture between Bausch & Lomb and 20/10 Perfect Vision AG that will focus on laser vision correction.

An angiostatic cortisene, Anercortave Acetate (AA), may prove to be the first treatment modality for open-angle glaucoma, which only needs to be administered every three months.

A look at how to introduce canaloplasty into your surgery; experience from two doctors.

Foveal thickness and macular volume decrease after phaco in eyes with diabetic macular oedema, with changes even more pronounced in patients with diabetic retinopathy.

Assessing whether certain surgical methods can minimize exposing the eye to oxidation during phacoemulsification/

Looking at an activity socring system to define lesions associated with wet AMD by quantifying their activity to determine the need for treatment.

Looking at a new technique to prepare and transplant endothelial grafts usinf subendothelial air injections to separate donor Descemet and endothelium from overlying stroma.

A common problem associated with cataract surgery is deviation from target refraction. This study examines whether variable IOL diameter can result in improvements.

Device holds promise for release of corticosteroids at varying doses.

The training component of the Mercy Vision programme, onboard the world's largest non-governmental hospital ship, is to receive $50,000 from the Alcon Foundation.

When injecting silicone oils with a viscosity of 5000 mPas, which are used frequently, retinal surgeons often reach limits of applicability.

“As we move into the 21st century the role of the IOL will evolve allowing better outcomes in cataract surgery and find new roles in surgery to improve vision such as through the treatment of presbyopia.”

New guidelines, designed to improve the management and diagnosis of chronic open angle glaucoma (COAG) and ocular hypertension have received a cautious commendation from the ophthalmic community.

Ultralase has become the first and only national provider to have all its UK surgeons accredited by the Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCOphth).

The pioneering stem cell therapy, developed by British researchers to tackle AMD, has received the financial backing of pharma giant, Pfizer Inc., which is expected to pump in £50 million over the next three to five years.